Hydraulic turbine



Q} l 17 T q. I gm i 25' ;Z\ v 2/ I & Zl/ I 15 g3 i I mmxxxw Nov. 23192s. 1,608,259 I H. B. TAYLOR HYDRAULIC TURBINE Original Filed July 24,1917 I I DMMW BY Z ATTORNEY) Patented Nov. 23, 1926.

UNITED STATES v I 1,608,259- PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY BIRCI IARD TAYLOR, OF PHILADELPHIA. PENNSYLVANIA.

HYDRAULIC TURBINE.

Original application filed July 24. 1917. Serial No, 182,498. Dividedand this application filed December The principal object of my inventionis to provide a new and improved substructure for a hydraulic turbine ofthe inflow type and particularly to such a turbine having a straightdraft tube receiving the discharge from the runner. Another object of myinvention is to provide suitable supporting means for such a turbine andits associated masonry structure. Another object is to make a stay vanering to go in the draft conduit of such a turbine. Still another objectof my invention is to provide columns or piers in the draft conduitbeneath such a turbine that shall be effective as supports for thesuperposed structure and at the same time have the proper disposition asvanes with respect to the water flow in the conduit These and otherobjects of my invention will be made apparent in the followingdisclosure of a limited number of examples of forms in which theinvention may be embodied.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention,

Figs. 1 and 2 are vertical and horizontal sectional views respectivelyof -a turbine structure embodying the invention. and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1. but illustrating .a modification.

The turbine runner 12has vanes 11 and is of the vertical shaft type. Thesupply conduit 13 terminates in a spiral or volute portion 14surrounding the runner 12. A speedring 15 is provided directing the flowto the adjustable guide vanes 16 so that the entering flow has awhirlimparted to it around the axis of the runner as a center. Directlybelow the runner12 there is an ordinary straight draft tube 17 withvertical 49 axis. Below this is a stay vane ring having the vanes 18extending across the annular flaring conduit between the crown ring 19and the bottom wall 33. The surfaces of the crown ring 19 and bottomwall 33 are surfaces of revolution forming between them a passage 21receiving the flow in substantially axial direction from-the straightdraft tube- 17 and turning it outward to the radial or horizontaldirection and at the same time lowering both the meridan and whirlingVelocity components and thus acting as a diffuser to create a suction ordraft lowering the back pressure on the draft tube 17. The passage y 21has an annular outlet 22 into a chamber 23 which extends upwardly aroundthe barrel .creasingly as it approaches the bottom wall Serial No.756.629.

formation 24. of the lower end of the draft tube 17. This chamber 23(Fig. 2) is of simplified construction and avoids any complicated shapefor regaining the whirl component of the discharge from the draft tube17 21, the greater portion of the kinetic en ergy of the water beingrecovered by the draft tube before the water enters the collector. Thewater is then conducted through the discharge passage 25 to thetailwater T, a slight further deceleration being effected in thecollector and discharge passage.

The draft tube of this invention may be arranged to operate either withthe chamber 23 and discharge passage 25 compleely submerged as shown inFig. 1, or with the tail water surface reduced to an elevation below thetop of this chamber where the tailwater level T is such hat there is afree surface of tailwater within the chamber.

The stay vanes 18 are designed to assist in the hydraulic operation ofgradually reducing the velocity of the water while flowing between thevanes. For this purpose they are suitably curved to receive the water inits natural direction of flow and to provide a gradually increasingcross sectional area measured perpendicularly to the stream elementsbetween neighboring vanes. In this way the natural diffuser ordecelerating action of the annular passage 21 is smoothly andsymmetrically maintained. As will be apparent from Fig. 1 the diameterof the draft tube 17 increases uniformly going downward until the levelof the upper edge 90 of the crown ring 19 is reached and then thediameter enlarges at an increasing rate for further positions below.Thus it is apparent that the draft tube shown in Fig. 1 flares in- 3 -3in which the base ring 30 is embedded.

In the embodiment of the invention disclosed in Fig. 3 the generaldesign is much the same as for Figs. 1 and 2 but in Fig. 3 the drafttube 37 is formed not merely as a void in the concrete structure 38 buthas a sheet metal lining 39 which stands on the crown ring'19' of thestay ring. AtQit's upper end this sheet metal draft tube lining 39 has aflange attached to the. base ring 40 10 of the speed ring. In thisembodiment of my invention I have also shown a metal turbine casing 41for the supply water conduit in place of the conduit formed in theconcrete used in preceding figures. The weight 110 of the turbine andother parts is carried by the concrete surrounding the tube 37 to thestayring and thence to the foundation. T he plate steel lining 39 servesmerely as a form for setting the concrete and lining for the tube and isnot essential as a part of the structure carrying this superposed load.

In the turbine structure of this invention the whirling draft tubedischarge is received '2 in a straight draft tube with graduallydiverging walls adapted to decelerate the meridian velocity of the flowand the lower end of this draft tube is provided with a divergingpassage decelerating both the meridian and whirling components ofvelocity of the flow soas to further increase the suction and effectivehead on the runner. At the same time the construction is simple information and provides a' continuous columnar support from thefoundation through to the speed vanes around the runner and thence tothe superstructure above.

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 557,921,filed May 2, 1922, now Patent #1,5 20,7 83, December 30, 1924, whichapplication, Serial No. 557,921. is a division of my originalapplication Serial No. 182,498, filed July 24, 1917, now Patent#1490397, April 15,1924. A

I claim:

1. A draft tube for a hydraulic turbine comprising a straight portionleading to a flaring end portion, a substantially flat floor wallopposite said flaring end portion and ill forming with said end portionan annular decelerating passage turning the flow from axial towardradial, and a series of stay vanes extending between said floor and saiddraft tube and inclined from a radial direction so as to conform towhirling lines of flogv in the discharge through said draft tu e.

2. A draft tube for a hydraulic turbine comprising a straight portionpassing through a concrete structure and having its discharge end formedas ,a hollow concrete barrel portion, a substantially flat floor 'wallopposite said barrel portion and a stay vane ring supporting said barrelportion from said floor wall, the vanes of said ring being inclined to aradial direction so as to conform to whirlinglines of flow to said drafttube.

3. A draft tube for a lrvdraulic turbine comprising a straight portionleading to a flaring end portion, a substantially flat floor wallopposite said flaring end portion and forming with said end portion anannular decelerating passage turning the flow from axial toward radial,and a series of stay vanes extending between said floor and said draft.tube and inclined from a radial direction so as to conform'to whirlinglines of flow in the discharge through said draft tube and a collectorpassage receiving the flow from the outlet of said draft tube and havaside wall of generally semi-circular formation spaced from said outlet.

4. In a draft tube for a hydraulic turbine the combination with adownwardly directed barrel portion having a flaring inner surface and"a-generally cylindrical'outer surface, of a floor wall below saidbarrel portion and forming therewithian annular outwardly directeddecelerating passage, and a collector chamber surrounding said passageand receiving the flow therefrom and de- 'celerating said flow on theway to tail water so as to convert the velocity head of the dischargeinto efl'ective' pressure head at the tailwater. L Y

5. A draft tube structure comprising ,a

'straight conical passage having a flaring bottom formed in concretethroughout-its entire length and having a lining of sheet metalcontinuous throughout its length.

6. A draft tube structure comprising a straight conical passage formedin concrete throughout its entire length and having a lining of sheetmetal comprising a series of overlapping sheet metal sections.

'7. A draft tube structure comprising a runner housing formed of metaland set in concrete, and a draft tube extending from said housing formedof concrete andha'ving a sheet'metal lining set in the concrete andforming the wall of said draft tube adjacent the runner.

HARVEY BIRCHARD TAYLOR.

